Heat In The Ashes
by hollyvalens
Summary: Daisy Martin is forced to survive on her own after losing the only person she's ever loved. Devastated and alone, she tries to keep herself from falling apart, and after a year of surviving on her own, her chances of survival are slim. With a scarce food supply and Walkers constantly on her trail, she's fading fast and left with no hope. Well, until she meets Daryl Dixon.


"I love you Daisy." Gabe took a deep breath, looking deep into my eyes. "You know that don't you?"

"Of course." I nodded, plucking a blade of grass from the field we were sitting in. He cupped my face in his hands, he looked very serious.

"Things aren't safe right now...they're getting worse." Gabe spoke, he had told me that things weren't safe for a long time now. People were dying, getting infected and coming back to life as something far from human. The human population was dropping like flies and no one could really figure out what was going on, it was just happening. The people who hadn't been infected just went with it everyday, trying to keep themselves alive, it was everyone for themselves.

"Gabe I am scared." I whispered, "I can't get any sort of response from anyone.. the phone lines have been dead for weeks.."

"I know." He sighed, he didn't bother to tell me things were all going to be okay anymore. This wasn't going to work itself out, more people everyday were getting infected and coming back as monsters, it was no near finishing off, this epidemic was far from dying out.

It really didn't take long for things to fall apart. At first people thought the infection was just some weird sort of virus, which it was.. but it was more extreme than any virus known to man. People were getting infected with an illness that put you in some sort of psychosis, it made you want to feed off of human flesh, and no one could understand or explain it. Both Gabe and I were pretty skeptical when the whole thing started, but when people outside our house were tearing each other apart we were pushed out of denial fairly quick.

Things were being held together by a very thin thread. People were locking themselves in their houses, grabbing guns to protect themselves. Food supply was scarce, and all of us were losing the ability to contact one another, the phone lines had been dead for a good two weeks; at least.

"We shouldn't be out here, it really isn't safe. We should get home." I stood up and dusted off my jeans, pulling loose the grass stuck to my thighs and the seat of my jeans.

We started to walk, he stopped me and put his hand on my shoulder, turning me around. Gabe looked at me again very seriously, he pulled out a handgun and my stomach lurched.

"What are you doing?" I frowned, he still looked me in the eye, holding me straight with his hand on my shoulder. He slowly opened my hand and slipped the gun into my palm. "Gabe no..." I shook my head and tried to give it back to him, but he shook his head.

"Daisy you need this gun. You need to protect yourself." He said firmly, I knew there wasn't really any negotiation with Gabe. I snorted and shoved the gun in my pocket.

"I don't even know how to use it well." I grumbled,

"You were fine yesterday. Shooting four outta' six beer cans is pretty good. You're too hard on yourself." Gabe smiled and pulled out his own handgun. "Hold onto yours okay? The flesh eaters are probably roaming about."

The flesh eaters was what we called the infected. Different people had different terms for flesh eaters, but when you broke it down they were all the same.

I sighed and pulled the handgun out of my pocket, grasping it tightly in my hands. "I don't want to shoot another human Gabe.. It just isn't right."

"They're not humans baby, not anymore."

We walked a little further, until we reached the public park, which was usually full on a hot summer day like this one; but everyone was either infected or at home hiding. I couldn't blame them hiding out, I couldn't believe that Gabe and I were out roaming around for no reason.

Gabe and I cut through the playground, sand filling our shoes as we trudged across. Gabe froze halfway across, I bumped into him.

"What's the matter?" I frowned, looking past his shoulder.

A girl was hovering over the water fountain, her back to us. She seemed to be unsteady on her feet, she couldn't stand still.

"Is she alright?" I whispered, and Gabe turned to me.

"I- I don't know..I don't think she's human." Gabe slowly walked towards the girl. "Hey..are you alright?" He squinted with confusion and turned back to me, I was still standing far away. I didn't want to venture close, it didn't feel right.

We were not good at shooting or deciphering flesh eaters yet, things were moving too fast, getting worse. We didn't really have much time for practicing anymore.

"Gabe.. come on...this doesn't feel right. Lets go." I hissed urgently,

"Hello?" Gabe ignored me, and walked up right behind the girl. He put his hand on her shoulder and she whipped around.

I gasped, stumbling back. The girl's eyes were a milky blue, her skin a blotchy greyish-green, she snarled viciously. We hadn't encountered a flesh eater this close before, we had managed to stay safe..until now. Gabe tried to run away but the flesh eater grabbed Gabe's arm, and chomped down in it. He screamed.

"GABE!" I screamed, I raised the gun at the flesh eater, my heart racing. I barely had any practice with this gun, but I didn't have an time to think. I pulled the trigger and I missed. "SHIT!" I cried as the flesh eater bit down on Gabe's neck, tearing his flesh apart with it's jaded teeth. I tried once more and hit it square in the face, It freed Gabe's neck and fell to the ground, dead. The shot of the gun was still echoing through the hazy summer air, my heart was racing, pounding through my ears. I was in complete shock

I bolted towards Gabe, who was on the ground. There was a fair-sized piece of flesh missing from his arm and neck. He was bleeding profusely, and I had no clue what to do. I still hadn't come to terms with these past five minutes.

"Gabe oh my god...GABE!" I panicked, as he was gushing blood. He was slipping in and out of consciousness. I propped him up on my knee, his blood was soaking into my jeans.

"Daisy...y-you gotta leave me." Gabe whispered,

"NO! Are you crazy!? Come on Gabe you gotta get up... please!" I grew more frantic, tears started to pour from my eyes. I knew there was no way he could get up, I knew he wouldn't live, I was becoming more and more frantic.

"I am bit.. I am not going to make it. You have to leave now..it's not safe!" He snapped,

"I am not leaving you!" I sobbed, "I can't!"

I heard groans and growls from a distance. I looked up to see a cluster of flesh eaters coming towards us. Why were there so many all of a sudden!?

"GO DAISY. NOW." He shouted, "GO! RUN!"

I couldn't stop sobbing, he grabbed my face and kissed me.

"Go." He whispered in my ear, "Run north, and stay north. Just keep running and you'll see the house.. and whatever you do...do not look back."

"I love you." I sputtered, shaking profusely.

"I love you too." He whispered, he was getting weaker by the minute.

I stood up and slowly, watching him bleed to death. He grabbed his gun from his pocket and started to shoot at the cluster of flesh eaters coming towards us, he shot most of the cluster down but there was another one coming. He turned to me and told me to run again, and I bolted. I did what Gabe promised, I didn't looked back.


End file.
